


fluttering wings and heart

by snowenpoint_city



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Pre-Relationship, i'm sorry to the 2 people who cared about my ongoing fics, the shulkelia brainrot is real and i haven't even gotten to future connected yet h
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-12
Updated: 2020-06-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 02:14:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,011
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24675940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snowenpoint_city/pseuds/snowenpoint_city
Summary: Releasing large quantities of ether from the body at once can have adverse effects on High Entia, even fainting in extreme cases. Thankfully there are good caretakers traveling with Melia.
Relationships: Melia Ancient | Melia Antiqua/Shulk
Comments: 8
Kudos: 49





	fluttering wings and heart

Melia opens her eyes slowly, the blue sky making her wince. She remembers the towering Deinos that they had been fighting, remembers the roar in her ears as she had unleashed her ether, remembers things going white and her heart beating far too fast. Judging by the lack of shouts and sounds of battle, the others must have finished the job, she guesses with relief.

“Melia, thank Bionis you’re awake!” 

She swallows. If Shulk’s wide, worried eyes and his hair hanging just away from her face are any indication, her heart might be beating too fast again very soon. 

“We were so worried when you passed out!” He frets over her slowly-recovering body, eyes darting back and forth uncertainly between a canteen of water, a pile of small ether crystals that could be crushed to heal, and Sharla’s back a few meters away. “That’s never happened before. Sharla was so angry, she said you needed to stay closer to her and let her know when you were getting weak, and how did––”

“Shulk,” she manages through the pounding of her head, “please stop speaking. I need to concentrate.”

“Oh, right. Of course.” He ducks his head in embarrassment and Melia swears she can see the tips of his ears redden, though it could be a trick of her unfocused eyes. She kicks herself for being so blunt in her speech, resolving to apologize when the spinning stops. 

With a deep inhale, she shuts her eyes again and attempts to concentrate enough to summon a healing elemental. Thinking of what she wants to do, channeling the ether in the air and bending it to her will. 

A fresh ache drums against the inside of her head and she gasps, hand flying to her temple. The little ether she managed to gather quickly flows from her body and leaves her lightheaded again.

“Here,” she hears Shulk say, and then feels a cool, rough pressure against her forehead. The refreshing cold permeates her whole body, and she opens her eyes slowly to see him pressing a softly glowing ice crystal to her head. “Keep holding that there, okay?” 

“Ah-” Melia blinks and raises her hand to take the crystal, her fingertips brushing the back of his hand as he lets go. “Thank you, Shulk.” She waits a second, and when no new pain comes, she feels comfortable continuing. “How did you know this would work?”

“Colony 9’s weather gets pretty hot sometimes. Being on a lake does help, but everyone got excited when the traders brought fresh ice crystals from Tephra Cave.” He smiles and shifts from a kneeling position to sit down on her side, facing her. “Dickson also used to give me them to use after I spent too much time in the lab and got dizzy.” 

The pain recedes further, and Melia feels comfortable cracking a smile too. “How very kind of him. And how lucky that you had them ready.”

“No, it’s just…” Shulk mumbles, his eyes dropping. Melia watches his fingers tug at the zip of his vest, like they always do when he becomes embarrassed, and feels warm in spite of the ice spreading its chill over her. 

Shulk’s eyes alight on the canteen at his feet, and presumably in an effort to change topics, he raises it toward her lips. “If you’ve started feeling better, you should drink. Sharla said your body will need to restore itself like this.”

Melia pushes the canteen away from her face and reddens, wings fluttering in consternation. “Do not treat me like an invalid, Shulk,” she forces out. “I am perfectly capable of getting water for myself.” She sees the apology forming on his lips, and with guilt rising in her, reaches out again and takes it from his hand, this time careful to touch his fingertips in contrition. “...That was very kind of you. Thank you.”

She drinks gratefully, letting out a relieved sigh after a few long seconds. “I do not think I will need Sharla’s help now,” she declares, her voice regaining a touch of authority. “You need not stay with me any longer, Shulk. Please, do not bother yourself.”

“All right. But still, Melia… I’m just glad you’re okay.” Shulk smiles, there and gone quicker than a ripple in the ether. “And if that ever happens again–” he reaches out and squeezes her hand tightly– “make sure you tell me or Sharla, okay? Please.”

She flinches at the contact, but after a second finds her hand curling into his. Holding hands was a rarity among High Entia, and even more so among the nobility. She had always assumed this to be because it was unpleasant––something like an acquired taste among lovers––but Shulk’s hand is warm and oddly comforting. His palm, callused from working with machines and the Monado, scrapes against her knuckles with a reassuring roughness, and his thumb brushes gently over the back of her hand. Her wings flutter once again as she squeezes back.

“Very well,” she mumbles. “I am grateful that I can count on you, Shulk.”

“Always.” He smiles more broadly this time, then leans in impulsively and kisses her on the cheek. Melia falters, her hand opening and letting the small crystal fall and shatter in her lap. The brittle crunch seems to snap them both back to reality, Shulk pulling away quickly and Melia stammering and frantically brushing the shards of icy ether off her dress.

“I’ll, um, I’ll go and see if Riki needs help cleaning fish,” he blurts out. “Tell me if you need anything!”

“Of course. Thank you. Yes,” she returns automatically, trying to find some semblance of normalcy in the turmoil of the past minutes. She hears her heartbeat in her ears again and desperately gathers several of the larger shards––thankfully unmelted––to press against her forehead again. Her body cools rapidly, but the spot on her cheek remains warm, like a second heartbeat pulsing against her own’s rhythm.

_ Oh, dear Bionis, _ she groans to herself as she slumps against the tree trunk again.

**Author's Note:**

> shoutout to my co-owners of the shulkelia braincell @starchitect and @pachipower417 love u guys. anyway i love this game and it is sucking what little life quarantine left in me away


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